This article is a summary of the following episode: Is the Gospel Really That Simple?
When someone asks, “What is the gospel?” many Christians freeze. We worry about saying the wrong thing. We wonder if our answer will sound too shallow or if it will leave something out. We often overcomplicate the message that God has made beautifully simple.
The gospel is deep enough to study for a lifetime, yet simple enough for a child to believe. It is both profound and plain.
The Gospel in Its Simplest Form
At its core, the gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ lived, died, and rose again for sinners. He stood in our place. He fulfilled the law we could not keep. He bore the punishment our sin deserved. He conquered death and the devil.
Faith in Christ alone is what saves. The question is not how much you know or how strong your faith feels. The question is: are you trusting in Jesus or in something else?
The person who believes that Jesus has done everything necessary for salvation is saved. The gospel is not a complex system to master but a simple announcement of what God has already done through his Son.
The Faith of a Child
Abraham believed God’s promise and was counted righteous. He did not know every detail about the coming Messiah, but he trusted that God would redeem his people. That same faith—trusting God’s Redeemer—is what saves us.
A child who says, “Jesus died for my sins and he will take me to be with him,” believes the gospel. That is the kind of faith that unites us to Christ. We never graduate from that.
The believer who has studied theology for decades and the new Christian who has only recently heard the name of Jesus share the same foundation: Jesus Christ for us.
Growing in the Knowledge of Grace
When we first believe, our understanding is small. Over time, God deepens our knowledge through discipleship and the church. We grow in clarity, but growth does not make us more saved. We do not advance beyond the gospel. We grow deeper into it.
The believer who has walked with Christ for fifty years still rests on the same truth as the person who was saved yesterday: “Jesus is enough for me.”
Doctrine and maturity help us see more clearly what Christ has done, but they do not add to the gospel. They help us appreciate the fullness of what we already possess in him.
The Danger of Losing Simplicity
Paul warned the church in Galatia about drifting from the simplicity of Christ. When we add conditions or measures of progress to the gospel, we create another message altogether. The moment salvation depends on our performance or our level of understanding, it stops being good news.
We are not saved by the sincerity of our repentance, the strength of our faith, or the amount of our obedience. We are saved by the finished work of Jesus. Faith simply receives what he has done.
Christians often confuse how we are saved with how we grow. The gospel saves us. The Spirit uses the gospel to mature us. Growth comes through teaching, discipleship, and the ordinary means of grace in the local church. But progress in holiness is never the basis of our acceptance before God.
Faith in Christ Alone
If you are uncertain about your standing with God, begin here: Do you believe that Jesus has done everything necessary to reconcile you to the Father? Do you believe that his life, death, and resurrection are enough for you?
If the answer is yes, you can rest. Salvation does not depend on the size of your faith but on the strength of your Savior. Jesus keeps all who come to him. He said, “Whoever comes to me I will never cast out.”
The Gospel That Holds
The gospel is not an invitation to prove yourself. It is an announcement that Christ has already secured your salvation. He lived the perfect life you could not live. He died the death your sin demanded. He rose to give you eternal life.
Every believer—from the youngest child to the oldest saint—stands on the same ground: Jesus Christ for us.
The gospel really is that simple. And it is that good.
